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Friday, June 19

Day 15, Paragraph 15 of Weekday Blog #1

*Starting our morning and day off great with the 10-minute Weekday Blog*
Our first DAILY blog for each Weekday in JUNE!

Thank you for joining us for this
ground-breaking JOURNEY
...
through the 1st CHAPTER of Keith's book,
Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped
to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...

      


Day FIFTEEN,
Paragraph FIFTEEN:

    
Consider what the enemies of God said to those who were reviving the wall of Jerusalem in obedience to the great calling of God. God had put the calling into the heart of His servant Nehemiah as he described in chapter 2, verse 12, "And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon." Then, observe the import of the lying words of the enemies of God in Nehemiah 4 (scripture in bold below). "The thing is too great for you!" they said. Nehemiah and those with him were seen as small and despised in the eyes of their enemies. What is not so evident is this: because God was with Nehemiah and the builders, their enemies were actually saying that the thing was too great for God. Hence, God was small and despised in their eyes, and all of their words of condemnation applied directly to the Lord God, as Scripture says in Romans 15:3, "For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me."

Question to ponder:

What are some of the lying words that are aborting the gifts and callings of God in the lives of people today?  _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

"One of the most important lessons, among many, that we can learn from Christ Jesus and His making His way to the cross, is that He 'finished.' I can remember when I managed an RV dealership, there was a young man who needed help to get back on his feet and I hired him to help out in our service department. After his first week on the payroll, I learned about a disturbing pattern in his work habits. One day the manager of our service department came to my office and asked me to step outside where she had something she felt that I needed to see. She led me to the service area, pointed at two of the motor homes, and asked me what I saw wrong with that picture. After taking a moment to look around, I answered her saying, 'Judging from the parts and tools laying on the ground around those two coaches, they look to still need to get finished. Is that what you are referring to?' She said, 'Exactly! The coaches are NOT finished because the young man you hired talks like he knows what he's doing, but, after he gets a good start on a job, he drops what he's doing and moves on to something else or another job.' She was telling me that the young man did not know how to 'finish' what he starts. Luke chapter 14 addresses the importance of counting the cost of a task, and making sure to be equipped to finish what we start, '...which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?' (Luke 14:28) Counting the cost includes measuring the resistance that we will likely have leveled against us, both by people around us and by satan's wicked spirits working against us in word and deed. It is crucial that we understand that, when we start to do something, if we don't 'finish', it discredits us and God in the eyes of those watching. Our unfinished project gives satan an occasion to accuse God of not being able to fulfill His promise in the lives of those people who observed our lack of following through and 'finishing'. The young guy I hired, in the eyes of those watching his incomplete work, was discredited, and I was discredited as the hiring manager. Additionally, in the eyes of the customers we were serving, who didn't receive the product we promised them, the entire company was discredited. Opposite of the example of the young service department worker, Jesus set the example for us to count the cost, and to 'finish'! So, my word of advice is: If you believe that God has called you to do something, put your hands to the task, press through the resistance and criticism of those who come trying to defeat you and abort your calling, cross the 'finish' line just as you were called by God to do, and watch God be glorified! The calling fulfilled will be something that you 'finished', working together with God - you IN Him, Him IN you, the two of you in ONEness. Selah."

"But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they receive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. (Nehemiah 4:1-3)


WE PRAY YOU HAVE A FUN WEEKEND...
... FILLED with fresh visions of God!
... FILLED with unfathomable joy in Christ Jesus!
... FILLED with wisdom that only the Person of The Holy Spirit brings!


*See you Monday, and pass a personal invitation to your friends! God bless and keep you!*

_____________________________


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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

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